


Hallowgrove

by SphinxHail



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Human/Monster Romance, Love, Monsters, Paranormal Romance, Plague Doctor - Freeform, Plague Doctors, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24427816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SphinxHail/pseuds/SphinxHail
Summary: When Emery awakens in a strange new world, she isn’t sure how to take it. Luckily, she meets a mysterious plague doctor to show her around.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Emery awoke with a start, her heart thrumming against her chest as she examined the world around her. She was in some kind of forest, unfamiliar territory for a city girl like her. Sunlight was filtering through the trees above, creating puddles of shimmering light upon the ground. Their rays danced alongside a myriad of chirping birds and dainty butterflies. It was as if Emery had gone to sleep and awoken in a fairy tale.

She rose to her feet cautiously, inspecting herself. How had she gotten here? Had someone kidnapped and dumped her into the forest? Had her father finally lost enough control to make an attempt on her life? She didn’t see any scars, none that were new at least. Confusion filled her mind as she tried to remember what she’d been doing the night before.

The sounds of laughter snapped her to attention, and Emery paused to listen. There were more voices, a whole crowd of them. They were soft and distant, but definitely the sounds of society. Relief flooded her, and Emery cautiously began to follow the vocalizations. As she approached, she peeked out from the brambles. What she saw sent her mind reeling with confusion.

“What the hell…?”

Within a massive forest clearing stood a bustling marketplace of shops, restaurants, and food stalls. It was shady, with soft glowing mushrooms poking up from the lush grass, and flowering vines dipping overhead. Treehouses decorated the trunks above, covered in lines of rainbow lights, like some kind of christmas spectacle.

The shops themselves did not look as if they’d been built, but rather grown with roots that held them steady upon the ground. Twigs and branches protruded from them, some used to hold items and others covered in flags and advertisements. The scent of freshly baked pies dueled with the aroma of plantlife, creating a smell that pleased the nostrils. A flower shop contributed to this, with roses that were according to the signage, ‘grown right here at home’.

Around these small businesses were an assortment of unusual creatures, many unlike anything Emery had ever seen. There were bipedal crocodiles purchasing an arrangement of daisies, dog people dining on raw porkchops, and a man with horns peddling his handmade teddy bears, which he swore were ‘not cursed in any way’.

Emery wondered if this were some kind of convention, where everyone dressed the part, like the renaissance fair or something. If that were the case, then all of their costumes, and the surrounding decor were very convincing. _Impressive_.

She stepped out from the brush and entered the crowd, her eyes briefly darting up to watch the strange whispy lights that looped above the stalls. Maybe she could ask someone here for directions to the nearest, well… anything. That was, if she didn’t get kicked out first. Obviously she didn’t have a ticket to this shinding, nor a costume.

A lizard man was the first to turn and greet her, “Good morning!” His teeth glistened and his tongue moved fluidly. A convincing facade! Emery wondered how he did it. Was the tongue attached to a string? Maybe it was remote controlled.

“Uh, morning.” She said back after a moment of silent fascination. Before the lizard could respond, she jumped at the feeling of something brushing by. “Ack!”

Emery calmed herself and looked down to see three strange bug-like creatures walking past, their bodies stick thin and tall enough to be the size of small children. Puppets perhaps? That had to be it, right?

She looked around her for more oddities, spotting a ghostly woman purchasing some pies from a bakery cart. After paying, she completely disappeared, pastries and all. Emery blinked in confusion.

“Hey, you alright there?” The lizard asked.

Emery turned her attention back to the reptile. She watched each movement of his head, every flick of his tongue. It was all so lifelike, maybe- maybe too lifelike.

Emery was starting to believe that this wasn’t a convention afterall. She continued to examine the lizard man, taking in every detail of his glossy scales as they reflected the dim lights of the mushrooms. Something wasn’t right here. No, this was all too real.

“Shit.” Emery muttered as the realization hit home. Panic rose within her as she realized that she stood face to face not with a costumed con-goer, but an honest to goodness monster. She backed away, only to bump into a large wolfman standing behind her.

“Oh, sorry.” The canine said, revealing his fangs in a wide smile. Emery only shrieked in return. She began to push her way through the crowd, trying desperately to get out. Around her, creatures stared in confusion at the sudden change in behavior she’d displayed. She could hear them muttering to eachother, but she couldn’t focus on anything right now. When she finally broke from the mass of bodies, she lost her footing and fell to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and locking up in her terror. The glow of the fungi around her illuminated her tremmoring skin against the damp grass.

A voice called out to her, “Are you alright?”

A man in the garb of a plague doctor approached quickly, kneeling over her with concern. Emery’s vision darted to him, her eyes wide with shock. Around her the world was beginning to spin, the creatures from the crowd behind him all swirling into a maddening surrealist vision.

“You’re hyperventilating. Please, try to take deep breaths.” The plague doctor’s voice brought her back to reality. She swallowed hard but continued to breath quick and shallow breaths.

“Where- where…” She tried to speak but it came out broken, her mind unable to focus on the words.

“It’s alright. You’re safe.” The man’s voice was soft. He reached out with a gloved hand, placing it upon her shoulder. The touch was firm yet gentle, and Emery felt her heart begin to slow from its panicked state.

“Where am I…?” She finally managed to ask, staring into the eyeports of his mask. They were black, concealing the eyes beneath, yet she felt as if she could feel their emotion.

“It’s alright. You’re safe here.” He repeated, “Everyone is safe here in Hallowgrove.“


	2. Chapter 2

Emery was still coming down from the shock of her earlier breakdown. After collapsing in what she could only describe as the monster marketplace, the plague doctor had carried her away from the crowd. She hadn’t been able to focus, and the memory of that journey was like a blurry dream. She had no idea how long it had taken to get to the doctor’s home, though he’d stated it was but a few minutes from the shops. Now she sat within something akin to a home office, but odd.

The room, like the rest of the plague doctor’s house seemed to have been grown rather than built, much like the stalls in the marketplace. The walls resembled the bark of a tree, with branches protruding out into coat hangers or grown into shelves. Glowing leafy orbs hung from ceilings by thin vines, their light illuminating each room. Though it was all so different, the feeling of this place was calming, as if just by existing in this house, Emery had become a part of nature itself.

Right now she sat upon a leather couch, one of the few pieces of furniture that hadn’t been grown into the house. The plague doctor had lead her through a few breathing exercises, then had left to obtain his tools. While she waited, she looked over at a fish tank made from a translucent planty membrane and observed the strange worm creatures swimming around within. Were those leeches?

The door opened on its rootlike hinges and the doctor stepped in carrying a myriad of strange items in his arms. He placed them down on his desk and brushed off his coat, then turned to look at Emery.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Y-yeah.” Emery nodded, “Thank you.”

She should have been terrified by this man with his beaked plague doctor mask and lifeless black eyes, but she wasn’t. There was a friendly aura about him, and Emery thought that she could somehow feel his concern, as if he were somehow broadcasting his emotions outward. It was all so strange, but calming nonetheless.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself yet, did I? My name is Finis.” The plague doctor said. He held a thin glass object in his hand resembling a thermometer.

“Emery. I’m uh, Emery.” She responded.

“Hm, that’s a fine name.” Finis paused, then nodded his head, “Now Emery, you’re human yes?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Okay. Do you mind placing this in your mouth for a few seconds?”

She agreed and he handed her the glass stick to place under her tongue. After five seconds, it glowed a soft red.

“Odd, most humans have Soulpurge, but you’ve tested negative.” Finis said, his voice ponderous.

“S-soulpurge?” Emery asked, a twinge of fear shooting up her spine.

Finis was quick to shake his head, his hands entering a flurry of movement as he tried to calm her. “Oh no no no! It’s just a fancy word for mortality! Nothing bad!” He told her, “Uh, and anyway they’re would be many treatments if you did have it, like a vampire bite or dragon’s blood! Nothing to worry about! Nothing at all!”

Emery felt relieved, but blinked with confusion. “Uh um, right. Is there anything I should be worried about then?”

“Well, we’ll see.” Finis said, holding open his gloved palm for her to hand the thermometer back. He examined Emery’s ears next with an odd looking instrument.

“Uh, anything in there?” Emery asked.

“Nope. No ear pixies.” He said.

“That’s good...”

“I think that you collapsed at the shops from simple Traveler’s Fatique- that is, you were a first time realm traveller who stumbled upon something you couldn’t understand.” Finis told her.

“Well, yeah. I- I never thought a place like that could exist...” She thought back to the lizard and the wolf, shuddering a bit. Strangely, a shred of guilt was growing inside her belly. They hadn’t seemed aggressive toward her, not in the least. She had probably insulted them. Damn it...

“I think you should get some rest, but I wouldn’t eat for a few hours. Traveler’s Fatigue does cause nausea sometimes.” Finis said, “You can stay on this couch if you’d like. Or you can take the guest room. It’s just up the stairs and to the left.”

“Thank you Finis.” Emery smiled lightly. She began to get up, deciding to take up his offer on the extra room. After waking up on the forest floor, she could really use a soft mattress to lay down on.

“Of course! You’re very welcome!” Finis told her, “Now, if you need anything, just call.”

“Um yeah, I will.” She said, steadying herself against a wall. She found that she was still quite dizzy from the panic prior, whatever that had done to her.

“Do you need help?” Finis asked, reaching out to give her aid.

“No, no. I’m good. Don’t worry.” She told him with a smile, managing to balance herself upon the floor. She hated feeling helpless, and she’d already done that twice in one day. She wasn’t intent on a third time. That, and she didn’t want to trouble Finis more than she had already.

After taking a few steps and keeping herself upright, Emery left the room and began up the wooden stairs, listening to the creaking and rustling of the living house around her. She needed a long nap, that was for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

Emery was surprised when she awoke the next morning. It had been midday when she’d fallen asleep. She must have been more exhausted than she’d thought. After getting dressed, she freshened up in the guest bathroom, showering and brushing out her hair.

The shower was made up of roots and vines, and the water pumped out from a hollowed branch in the shape of a showerhead. The organic bathroom surrounding her made Emery feel as if she were washing up in the middle of the woods. When she’d finished, she came down the stairs. Finis’s office was closed, but the scent of eggs and meat was wafting from down the hall.

Emery stepped into the kitchen to find the plague doctor sitting at a table fashioned from a stump-like growth. She approached him, sitting down on one of the wooden chairs that had grown from the floor. All around them flowers bloomed in the sunlight from the windows. Branches reached out from the walls, shelving salts, peppers, and sugars. A carnivorous looking plant with a red mouth seemed to be cooling down in one of the corners, steam still floating from its maw.

 _Is that how he cooks?_ Emery thought to herself as she observed the strange plant.

Finis didn’t take long to notice her. “Emery, good morning. Are you feeling well? You slept for quite a while.”

She smiled, “Yeah, I feel refreshed. I mean, I’m still confused but...” She shrugged.

“I don’t expect you to get used to Hallowgrove so quickly. It must be a culture shock for you.” He said.

 _That’s an understatement._ Emery thought. She glanced down at her plate. A large pile of scrambled eggs, a link of sausage, and a pancake had been set before her. Emery’s mouth watered. She was starving.

“You better not eat that. You wait for _me_. Didn’t I teach you manners, you moron?” A familiar voice spoke up to her left, accompanied by a thick shadowy figure just at the edge of her vision.

“D-Dad?” Emery turned to look, panic shooting through her veins. Nothing was there and she blinked confusedly.

“Hm?” Finis looked at her inquisitively.

Emery turned back to him and shook her head, “I-it’s nothing.”

 _Just your imagination._ She reasoned. As she began to eat, she smiled in delight. She hadn’t tasted home cooking in almost twenty years.

The eggs were so creamy, the meat perfectly cooked, and the pancake felt like biting into a cloud. Emery felt like she’d ascended to the heavens as she shoved forkfuls of her meal into her lips. Before she knew it, she had licked the plate clean.

“Goodness, you were hungry.” Finis chuckled. He took a breath as if readying to say more, but a knock at the door interrupted him. “Oh, hold on.”

Finis excused himself, striding over to the front door and peaking through the peephole. He unlocked it, pulling the portal open. Emery watched as two familiar faces appeared. It was the lizard and the wolf, the same ones from the market.

“Is the human woman here?” The lizard man asked.

“We heard she was here!” The wolfman added.

Finis nodded, “She is but I think she needs more rest before she has visitors.”

Emery was already up from her seat and halfway there as he spoke. She walked up beside him and raised a hand in greeting at the two.

“I-I’m so sorry for yesterday. It was really rude of me to run away from you like that.” She said, bowing her head in guilt.

The two men looked at each other in confusion, then shook their heads.

“No, no! We’re not upset! We were worried about you is all!” The lizardman said.

“After we saw you collapse like that in the marketplace, we wanted to make sure you were okay. We didn’t know you were new to Hallowgrove.” The wolfman added.

“Oh, that’s really nice of you. You didn’t have to do that.” Emery assured them.

She looked up at Finis, trying to gauge whether or not the plague doctor knew these two. It was hard to tell with his mask blocking her view. He had his head slightly tilted though, and she could feel an aura of confusion wafting off of him.

The lizardman spoke again, a smile on his snout, “My name is Wrat, and this is Clory.”

“Oh, well I’m Emery. Do you- do you know Finis?”

The plague doctor nodded slightly. “I’ve treated them before many times. They’re neighbors.”

“Hey, and you were also at our marriage ceremony, remember?” Clory asked. He chuckled a bit.

“Ah yes, that! I remember!” Finis said.

“Well anyway, we just wanted to drop by and see how Emery was. We’ll leave you to it, but if you ever wanna hang out, just hit us up, alright?” Wrat was practically beaming now.

Emery smiled back at him, “Sure thing!”

The couple said their farewells, and Finis closed the door, his head still tilted. Emery looked at him, her own confusion wracking her brain. Then came a lightbulb. He must have been confused at how she’d reacted. She’d been so calm this time around.

“Uh Finis. I had time to think things over since I saw those two yesterday. I told myself that if I ever saw them again, I’d apologize.” She said, hoping to clear things up. “I was just surprised yesterday, is all.”

The plague doctor nodded, and she smiled as the energy of confusion dispersed, replaced by a wave of content.

He nodded, “Well, if you feel that you’re up to it, and you can handle the sights then perhaps I can give you the grand tour tomorrow.”


End file.
